Tom Newman aka Acid Pimp & Poker, has been an integral part of Detroit’s electronic music scene since the very early 1990’s. While the Detroit legends of the 1980’s were on tour overseas, returning home only once or twice per year, it was DJs like Tom Newman headlining the legendary underground warehouse parties that are still revered and imitated today. Taking on alias’s such as Acid Pimp and Poker, Tom is responsible for classic releases on Cheshire, early D-Records, as well as new releases on labels such as Snork Enterprises.
Tom was exposed to the beginning of Detroit techno and early Chicago acid house through DJs such as Ken Collier, who’s club Heaven opened at 3am, and Richie “Rich” Hawtin, who had an industrial night every Sunday at a basement club called The Shelter. By 1993 Tom had one of the most impressive collections of underground acid records in the city, and was convinced by legendary promoter Jason Huvaere of Paxahau / Movement to DJ a party with Stacey Pullen at the now legendary 1217 venue. In 1994 Tom released his first of many classic records on Cheshire under the moniker Acid Pimp, which had exclusive distribution through Dan Bell’s Seventh City.
By the late 1990’s, Tom was headlining events every weekend across the US and Canada. It was around this time when Tom was approached by Rich Hawtin with two other friends to form D-Records as a sub-label of M-nus. Having the opportunity to perform at Tresor Berlin in 2001, Tom became inspired to form Friction Detroit, which was the only all techno club night in Detroit and hosted local and international headliners including Chris Liebing, Ben Sims, Regis to name a few.
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